Reinforced corner tray



1954 J. D. DESMOND ETAL 3,

REINFORCED CORNER TRAY f7: verzl o 715'.

Filed Feb. 3. 1964 United States PatentO 3,152,748 REINFORCED CORNER TRAY John D. Desmond, Philadelphia, and John T. Harrell, Phoenixville, Pa, assignors to Container Corporation of America, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Filed Feb. 3, 1964, Ser. No. 341,856 2 Claims. (Cl. 229-34) The present invention relates to folding paperboard cartons and more particularly to cartons of tray for-m having reinforced corners which include locking means for maintaining the tray in set up condition.

Among the important objects of the invention are to provide a relatively inexpensive construction of paperboard tray which is produced in collapsed condition and may be set up quickly and easily; to provide a tray of this type which has single thickness side walls but with multiple thickness end walls and corners to obtain good stacking strength; and to provide a reinforced corner construction in the tray combined with positive locking means to retain the reinforcing parts in position.

Additional and more specific objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the description proceeds.

In the drawings FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the end portion of a tray in its fully set up condition;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 2- 2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the reinforcing inner end wall of the tray in raised position ready to be folded down inside the tray;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary plan view, showing a portion of the reinforcing end wall broken away and showing how adhesive is applied to join the connected parts; and

FIGURE 5 is a plan View of the blank from which the tray may be produced.

The tray of the present invention is particularly advantageous for use in packaging small articles such as small cartons of candies where an objective is to have a very inexpensive, quick setting up tray having good stacking qualities. This is accomplished by constructing a tray with single thickness side walls and providing for reinforced ends and corner portions.

Referring first to the blank for the tray, shown in FIGURE 5, the rectangular bottom panel 1 is located centrally of the blank. Outer end wall panels 2, 2 are hinged to the bottom panel along fold lines 3, 3, and inner end wall panels 4, 4 are hinged to the outer end walls panels along fold lines 5, 5. Side wall panels 6, 6 are hinged to the bottom panel along fold lines 7, 7.

The tray is manufactured in collapsed condition and is so constructed that, when the end walls are raised, the side walls will also be raised. For this purpose the side walls at each end are scored or partially cut to form diagonal fold lines 8, 8 which define triangular portions 9, 9 at the outer corners of the side walls.

Attaching flaps 10, 10 are provided on the ends of each outer end wall, and, as shown in FIGURE 4, the side walls 6 are folded inward to overlie the bottom panel, the triangular portions 9 are folded flat against the outside surfaces of the side walls and adhesive, as indicated at 11, is applied to these infolded triangular portions.

The end fiaps 10 on the outer end walls are folded fiat against such walls and the blank is folded on fold lines 3, 3 to bring the assembled end Walls and end wall flaps down upon the infolded side walls. This causes the end flaps It) to adhere to the triangular portions 9. It is immaterial whether adhesive is applied to the triangular portions 9 or to the inner wall flaps. It is also immaterial in What sequence the folding of the parts is effected relative to application of the adhesive.

Each inner end wall panel 4 is folded down inside the tray and comes to rest flat against the inner surface of the outer end wall panel 2. Each panel 4 has a reinforcing flap 12 at each of its ends and a third reinforcing flap 13 at its outer end. The flap 13 is adapted to bear against the bottom panel when the inner wall panel is in final position, and the flaps 12, 12 bear against the flaps 1t), 10 at the vertical corners of the tray. I

Means are provided on the inturned flaps 10 for retaining the adjacent flaps 12 in place. For this purpose a cut 14 is made in each flap 10 to form a locking tab 15. This tab has a straight section that is spaced from the end wall a distance equal to the effective width of the flap 12, so that, when the flap 12 is in final position, its outer edge is in a position to contact the adjacent edge of the flap 15.

Preferably a score line 16 is impressed across the tab 15, such score line extending upwardly in the direction of the mid-portion of the side wall. Prior to glueing the tray the tab 15 is preferably folded to prebreak the score 16 causing the flap to be biased inwardly of the tray, as shown in FIGURES 1 and 3. By this arrangement, when the inner end wall panel is swung down inside the tray and forced against the outer wall panel, the flaps 12 will be folded in and will first sweep across the tab 15, and as soon as the flap 12 clears the tab its edge will move in behind the edge of the tab with a snap action and will then remain in locked condition.

While the present description sets forth a preferred embodiment of the invention, various changes may be made in the construction without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it is therefore desired that the present embodiment be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being had to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention.

We claim:

1. A collapsible paperboard tray comprising a rectangular bottom panel, two side wall panels hinged to opposite sides of the bottom, and outer end wall panel hinged at each end of the bottom, the side walls being adapted in the collapsed form of the tray to be folded flat against the bottom, the end of each side wall being diagonally scored from the point of juncture of the side wall with the corner of the bottom to provide a triangular portion arranged to be folded flat on the outside surface of the side wall, each end of the outer end wall having hinged thereon an end flap, the outside surface of each outer end wall flap being adapted to be adhesively secured to the exposed surface of the adjacent triangular portion of the side wall when folded flat thereon, a cut formed in each outer end Wall flap extendin approximately parallel with the hinge connection of said flap with the end wall, whereby said out defines a locking tab extending in the collapsed form of the tray toward the end wall hinge connection with the bottom, and extending in the set up form of the tray toward the hinge connection of the side wall and bottom, said locking tab in the set up form of the tray presenting a locking edge spaced from the hinge of the outer end wall flap and outer end wall, an inner end wall panel hinged on the upper edge of each outer end wall and adapted to be folded inside the tray to lie flat against the outer end wall, a locking flap hinged at each end of each inner end wall panel, said locking flaps being adapted to be folded at right angles to their attached inner end wall panel to slide along the end flap of the outer end wall when the side wall and outer end Wall flap are in raised positions relative to the bottom, the edge of each of said locking flaps on the inner end walls being adapted to engage behind the locking edge of the adjacent locking tab which forms part of the outer end wall flap.

2. A tray construction, as defined in claim 1, in which a score line is impressed across each locking tab, spaced References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Burden Mar. 7, 1961 Keppler Apr. 22, 1930 Rosenthal Apr. 7, 1936 Shapiro Nov. 24, 1959 

1. A COLLAPSIBLE PAPERBOARD TRAY COMPRISING A RECTANGULAR BOTTOM PANEL, TWO SIDE WALL PANELS HINGED TO OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE BOTTOM, AND OUTER END WALL PANEL HINGED AT EACH END OF THE BOTTOM, THE SIDE WALLS BEING ADAPTED IN THE COLLAPSED FORM OF THE TRAY TO BE FOLDED FLAT AGAINST THE BOTTOM, THE END OF EACH SIDE WALL BEING DIAGONALLY SCORED FROM THE POINT OF JUNCTURE OF THE SIDE WALL WITH THE CORNER OF THE BOTTOM TO PROVIDE A TRIANGULAR PORTION ARRANGED TO BE FOLDED FLAT ON THE OUTSIDE SURFACE OF THE SIDE WALL, EACH END OF THE OUTER END WALL HAVING HINGED THEREON AN END FLAP, THE OUTSIDE SURFACE OF EACH OUTER END WALL FLAP BEING ADAPTED TO BE ADHESIVELY SECURED TO THE EXPOSED SURFACE OF THE ADJACENT TRIANGULAR PORTION OF THE SIDE WALL WHEN FOLDED FLAT THEREON, A CUT FORMED IN EACH OUTER END WALL FLAP EXTENDING APPROXIMATELY PARALLEL WITH THE HINGE CONNECTION OF SAID FLAP WITH THE END WALL, WHEREBY SAID CUT DEFINES A LOCKING TAB EXTENDING IN THE COLLAPSED FORM OF THE TRAY TOWARD THE END WALL HINGE CONNECTION WITH THE BOTTOM, AND EXTENDING IN THE SET UP FORM OF THE TRAY TOWARD THE HINGE CONNECTION OF THE SIDE WALL AND BOTTOM, SAID LOCKING TAB IN THE SET UP FORM OF THE TRAY PRESENTING A LOCKING EDGE SPACED FROM THE HINGE OF THE OUTER END WALL FLAP AND OUTER END WALL, AN INNER END WALL PANEL HINGED ON THE UPPER EDGE OF EACH OUTER END WALL AND ADAPTED TO BE FOLDED INSIDE THE TRAY TO LIE FLAT AGAINST THE OUTER END WALL, A LOCKING FLAP HINGED AT EACH END OF EACH INNER END WALL PANEL, SAID LOCKING FLAPS BEING ADAPTED TO BE FOLDED AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THEIR ATTACHED INNER END WALL PANEL TO SLIDE ALONG THE END FLAP OF THE OUTER END WALL WHEN THE SIDE WALL AND OUTER END WALL FLAP ARE IN RAISED POSITIONS RELATIVE TO THE BOTTOM, THE EDGE OF EACH OF SAID LOCKING FLAPS ON THE INNER END WALLS BEING ADAPTED TO ENGAGE BEHIND THE LOCKING EDGE OF THE ADJACENT LOCKING TAB WHICH FORMS PART OF THE OUTER END WALL FLAP. 